The document discusses several media theories related to the representation of social classes: 1) Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony which holds that the middle class dominates society by presenting its values as normal and natural, with other classes accepting these values. 2) Theories that the media promotes the ideas of the ruling class to maintain this hegemony and distract/trap the working classes. 3) Gramsci also viewed hegemony as constantly struggling with alternative representations challenging dominant perceptions. 4) The document discusses applying these theories to analyze the representation of social classes in various media texts.

1. Media
theories

2. Gramsic (1971)
 Cultural Hegemony: This is the idea that one
social class (usually the middle class) is able to
dominate a society by making their way of life
and values appear normal, natural, and
common sense.
 As a result other social classes accept these
values as the normal way of life.

3. Cultural Hegemony
 The media uses cultural hegemony to fix the
social classes.
 The working classes are somewhat trapped in an
illusion that they will benefit from society staying
the same.
 Media aim to distract individuals and promote
the ideas of the ruling class.
 Can anyone think of any examples that promote
or oppose this idea?

4. Cultural Hegemony cont…
 Gramsci sees hegemony as a site of constant
struggle as societies are constantly debating
what is and isn’t acceptable.
 You can relate this to this to more positive
representations of working class youth which
challenge the perception of working class as
thugs.

5. Cultural Hegemony (Gramsic 1971)
and Harry Brown
 Cultural Hegemony: one
social class dominate a
society by making their
values appear normal
 Other social classes
accept these values as the
normal
 Media to promote the
ideas of the ruling class.
 How can we apply this theory to Harry
Brown?
 Think about:
 Todorov’s theory of equilibrium,
disequilibrium and equilibrium.
 What else can we call equilibrium?
 What/who threatens this equilibrium?
 How does this fix social class outside
of the film?

6. Giroux (1997)
 Giroux argues that in media representations
youth becomes an ‘empty category’
 Media representations of young people are
constructed by adults. Because of this they
reflect adults concerns, anxieties, and needs.
 As a result of this media representations of young
people do not necessarily reflect the reality of
youth identity.

7. Empty Category (Giroux 1997)
and Harry Brown
 Youth becomes an ‘empty
category’
 Representations
constructed by adults.
 Reflect adults concerns,
anxieties, and needs.
 Representations do not
necessarily reflect the reality
of youth identity.
 How can we apply this
theory to Harry Brown?
 Think about:
 Who constructed the text?
 Who it is aimed at?
 Does the text reflect adult
anxieties or serve the
purposes of adult society?
(reinforcing hegemonic
values).

8. Acland (1995)
 Media representations of delinquent youths actually reinforce
hegemony.
 They do this by constructing an idea of ‘normal’ adult and
youth behaviour, and contrasting it with deviant youth
behaviour which is shown to be unacceptable.
 Media representations of young people out of control allows
the state to have more control of them (e.g. media reports
about delinquent youths led to ASBOs).
 ‘Ideology of protection’ – the idea that young people need
constant surveillance and monitoring. This happens because
youth is the time when young people learn about social roles
and values, and allows the state to make sure they conform to
hegemonic values.

9. Deviant Youth (Acland 1995)
and Harry Brown
 Representations of delinquent
youths reinforce hegemony.
 ‘Normal’ adult and youth
behaviour, contrasted with
deviant youth behaviour
 Representations of young people
out of control allows the state to
have more control
 Ideology of Protection: young
people need constant
surveillance and monitoring.
State ensures that they conform
to hegemonic values.
 Apply this theory to Harry Brown.
 Think about:
 The extent to which the text shows
young people as in need of control.
 Does the text show young people as
behaving in an unacceptable way?
 If so does this identify what behaviour
society thinks is acceptable? (i.e.
hegemonic)
 How does the text show class youths
to be deviant thus reinforcing middle
class hegemony.

10. Cohen (1972)
 Societies appear to be subject, every now and then,
to periods of moral panic
 A condition, episode, person or group of persons
emerges to become defined as a threat to societal
values and interests
 Its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical
fashion by the mass media
 The effect of a moral panic is to reassert hegemony
by allowing a society to make clear what values it
does not accept.

11. Moral Panics (Cohen 1972)
 Cohen first discussed this with regards to mods
and rockers
 However these days there are still morals panics
with regards to youth.
 For example the idea of “chavs” and “hoodies”
may be considered a moral panic.
 How would this theory explain this?

12. Moral Panics (Cohen 1972)
and Harry Brown
 Moral Panic:
 A person or group of
persons become defined as
a threat to societal values
 Presented in a stylized and
stereotypical fashion
 Reasserts hegemony by
allowing society to define
what values it does not
accept.
 How can we apply this to
Harry Brown?
 Think about:
 Who is creating the ‘Moral
Panic’?
 Is the panic justified?
 Is the panic resolved?
 How?

13. McRobbie (2004)
 Contemporary British TV often contains ‘symbolic
violence’ against the working class,
 Symbolic violence is when there is an agreement
that one group/person is weaker and submits to
the other
 These representations emphasise middle class
dominance and depict the working class in very
negative ways

14. Symbolic Violence (McRobbie 2004)
and Harry Brown
 ‘Symbolic Violence’
against the working class
emphasises middle class
dominance
 How can we apply this to
Harry Brown?
 Think about:
 Who is the protagonist and
antagonist in the text?
 How are the issues in the
text resolved?

15. Gerbner (1986)
 Gerbner studied the effect of television on people’s
perception of crime.
 He found that people who watched a lot of television
tended to overestimate the levels of crime. He called
this ‘mean world syndrome’
 Because news reports, TV dramas, films, contain lots of
representations of crime over time this influenced
people’s perceptions of the world. This is called
‘cultivation theory’
 The repetitive pattern of television’s mass-produced
message and images influences people’s understanding
of the world

16. Mean World Syndrome
(Gerbner 1986)
and Harry Brown
 Mean World Syndrome:
People exposed to large
amounts of media tend to
overestimate the levels of
crime.
 Cultivation Theory: exposure
to negative representations
influences peoples
perception of the world
 How can we apply this to
Harry Brown?
 Think about:
 If this text supports or
opposes ‘mean world
syndrome’
 The message overall
contained in the text?
 If this message can be
applied to ‘cultivation
theory’

17. Applying Theory
 Write up each of the theories we have covered in your
own words.
 Gramsci (1971), Cultural Hegemony
 Giroux (1997), Empty Category
 Acland (1995), Deviant Youth, Ideology of Protection
 Cohen (1972), Moral Panic
 McRobbie (2004), Symbolic Violence
 Gerbner (1986), Mean World Syndrome, Cultivation Theory
 Apply these theories to all the other texts we have
studied

18. Theorist Year Concepts Your explanation
Giroux 1997 Youth as ‘Empty Category’
Acland 1995 Deviant Youth,
Ideology of protection
Gramsci 1971 Cultural hegemony
Cohen 1972 Moral Panic
McRobbie 2004 Symbolic Violence
Gerbner 1986 Mean World Syndrome,
Cultivation Theory
Support for Homework

19. Essay
Ques
tion:
How are young people
represented in contemporary
media?
LO: To write a plan for this essay using the texts we have studied.

20. Essay Question
How are young people represented in
contemporary media?
 Introduction:
 State argument (link to
theory)
 Identify texts
 Paragraph 1:
 Main text
 Examples
 Link to theory
 Paragraph 2:
 Main Text
 Examples
 Link to theory
 Continue paragraphs as necessary…
 Conclusion:
 Summary of key points in P1, P2 etc…
 Summary of overall argument